Our hearts are heavy today as we contemplate the loss of retired Judge Joseph A. Falcone.

Judge Falcone was a giant in the legal community. He was a well-respected leader and a tireless public servant.
After only a few years in private practice, he became an assistant Essex County prosecutor in 1969. He was named first assistant prosecutor in 1975 and prosecutor in 1980.

Judge Falcone was also a familiar figure in many parts of the Judiciary. He was appointed to the bench in 1990 and started serving as assignment judge of the Passaic Vicinage in 1996. He served as assignment judge in the Essex Vicinage from 1999 to 2004, when he was elevated to the Appellate Division. Because Judge Falcone missed the Superior Court, he happily returned to the criminal bench in Morris County the following year. He later moved back to Passaic, then retired in 2011.

The judges and staff of the New Jersey Judiciary express our deepest sympathy to Judge Falcone’s family.